Figure AI melts retired F.02 robots in molten steel vat

By Splitfeed EditorialLast updated Oct 6, 2026, 00:00 UTC

In early October 2026, Figure AI staged a public decommissioning of its retired F.02 humanoid robots by submerging them in a 75-ton vat of molten steel. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who proposed the method, was present at the event. As one of the robots descended into the metal, it held up a thumbs-up sign, directly recreating the final moments of the T-800 character Schwarzenegger played in the 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The company described the process as a 'Terminator-style' send-off, framing the retirement of an older hardware generation as a cinematic moment rather than a routine disposal.

The spectacle sits at the intersection of genuine product transition and marketing theater. Figure AI is moving past the F.02 generation toward newer hardware, so retiring the old units was a practical necessity regardless of how it was done. The choice to melt them in molten steel, with a Hollywood actor on hand, turns an internal manufacturing decision into a global brand moment. What remains genuinely open is whether molten steel is an appropriate or responsible disposal method for complex robotic hardware, particularly robots that contain lithium batteries and a range of materials that raise environmental questions when processed at extreme heat.

No published reactions have appeared yet from the Pro-AI or Anti-AI camps. Pro-AI voices would typically celebrate this kind of bold, playful branding as evidence that the robotics industry is confident and culturally fluent. Anti-AI voices would more likely treat the stunt as a distraction from harder questions about the pace of hardware iteration and the waste it generates. The Middle Ground camp has offered the most substantive early commentary. The account gagadgetfr.bsky.social noted that behind the marketing move lies a genuine puzzle about what to do with end-of-life lithium battery robots. ThierryWeber on the same platform observed that the Terminator 2 nod did not sit well with everyone, suggesting the cultural reference landed unevenly across different audiences.

The episode to watch next is whether regulators, environmental groups, or industry bodies raise questions about the disposal method itself, particularly around lithium battery handling in high-temperature industrial processes. Any formal response from Figure AI about its broader decommissioning policy for future robot generations would clarify whether molten steel becomes a repeatable practice or a one-time stunt.